66 
JOURNAL OF AN EMBASSY 
night, on our return to Maulamyaing, and this 
morning prosecuted our journey. When oppo¬ 
site to a place called Sami, and a little below an 
island in the middle of the river, we observed a 
few teak trees, some of which were measured, and 
found to be from five to seven feet in circumfe¬ 
rence. These probably form the outskirts of fo¬ 
rests of the same timber in the interior. 
Jan. 31.—About four o’clock yesterday after¬ 
noon we reached the rocks of Pa-baong. These 
run parallel with the right bank of the river, and 
are washed by the tide. The range is a good deal 
higher than any of the others, and I should think 
in some places not less than four hundred feet 
high. One peak of about this elevation, separat¬ 
ed from the general mass, rises from the ground 
in the form of a sharp pyramid; on the top of it 
is a little pagoda, the labour, difficulty, and dan¬ 
ger of constructing which may be easily imagin¬ 
ed. About the centre of the range is a vaulted 
cavern piercing through and through the rock, 
which gives passage to a small branch of the river, 
navigable for boats for a tide, or about fifteen 
miles up. We went through this passage in our 
boats, and were much struck with the grandeur 
and magnificence of the prospect. The roof of 
the cavern was covered with stupendous stalac¬ 
tites. 
Between two and three o’clock to-day, we re¬ 
turned to the military station. The following 
